Blue Ridge CTC, Shepherd ink transfer deal

July 1, 2014

MARTINSBURG - A cooperative agreement signed Monday between Blue Ridge Community and Technical College and Shepherd University will benefit students seeking degrees in education, nursing, criminal justice and credit for workforce experience.

That's because they'll be able to make a seamless transition from the community college to the university, taking only the classes that are necessary at both institutions to graduate in four years.

SU President Dr. Suzanne Shipley and BRCTC President Dr. Peter Checkovich signed the official documents at a morning ceremony that drew approximately 25 people-including representatives from both schools.

Article Photos

Journal photo by Jenni Vincent Blue Ridge Community and Technical College President Dr. Peter Checkovich, left, and Shepherd University President Dr. Suzanne Shipley on Monday signed an agreement aimed at helping students graduate in four years by taking only the necessary classes — even upon transferring from BRCTC to SU.

"We all know that the best degree is a completed degree. And hopefully within four years students can be out in the marketplace-including two years at Blue Ridge and two years at Shepherd. This is also about enhancing our communities and workforce, because we've gotten more and more serious about getting students through quickly," Shipley said.

"What we're working on here is having our degrees be like stair steps, so students will know what they need to take and exactly how long it will take to get their education. It also lessons the confusion, so an education student doesn't take five extra classes at Blue Ridge that they won't need at Shepherd," she said.

Checkovich said this advancement is also beneficial because it reflects popular professions teaching and nursing-that also offer graduates a good shot at getting a job.

"We're opening a pipeline for students who want to start here but maybe have to be in a degree program to qualify for financial aid. If a student doesn't know what they want to do, a lot of times they list general studies. But we did some surveys with students in general studies and a lot of them said they would love to go into teaching if it was possible. So we wanted to get that option going with Shepherd, and it is working out just great," Checkovich said.

The Associate of Science in Education is a new program that will be offered to BRCTC students starting this fall. After earning their degree in education, students can transfer to SU to earn a bachelor's degree in teaching concentrations including social studies, general science, biology, mathematics, English or elementary education.

Students who complete BRCTC's Associate of Science in Nursing can also transfer to SU to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

This agreement also includes the Board of Governor's program offered by BRCTC; however, graduates will now have the option to continue their studies at SU in the Regents Bachelor of Arts program. The RBA can help adults who've completed some college classes get back into higher education, and also offers credit for some work and life experiences.

BRCTC articulations coordinator Brett Gallagher said this is a logical step since most students who want to continue their education also want to stay in the region by attending Shepherd University.

"It's really an honor to be able to serve our community in this way, and to be able to outline a path for those students," said Gallagaher, who routinely worked helping students with university transfers and related issues such as curriculum to make this change "as quick and seamless as it could be."

Virginia Hicks, SU Dean of Education and Professional Studies (which also includes nursing), said she is excited about the collaborative effort because "it's an opportunity to bring two strong schools together to help our students get through in four years, whether they are pursuing a teacher or nursing degree. So I am very, very supportive of the faculties working together to make this happen."

SU education professor Georgiann Toole said she's glad transfer students will no longer be plagued by classes that can't be used at their new school. "We want them to be able to finish their degree and certification in four years, so we've carefully designed the curriculum that they go straight from their two years here and straight into the upper level education classes at Shepherd," she said.